Welcome  to  Globalteer’s  Cambodia  Community  Project  Our  Cambodia  Community  Project  works  with  carefully  selected  independent  partner  projects  in  and  

around  Siem  Reap  that  focus  on  the  poor  and  vulnerable  and  helps  them  and  their  families  to  establish  

long-­‐term  solutions  to  their  needs  through  education,  health  care,  nutrition  and  income  generation.  

You  will  be  based  with  our  local  project  partner  Helping  Hands  Cambodia  

(volunteercambodia.org.uk)  –  a  grassroots  Globalteer  managed  organisation  that  runs  a  

complementary  school  for  over  300  children  in  rural  Cambodia,  teaches  health  and  hygiene,  and  in  

the  past  has  built  bridges,  fixed  roads  and  provided  training  on  agriculture  and  nutrition  in  

partnership  with  the  community.  

Free  breakfast  is  provided  to  the  children  attending  the  school  to  ensure  the  students  have  at  least  one  

nutritious  meal  a  day  to  better  learn  effectively.  

Helping  Hands  Cambodia  provides  scholarship  to  young  adults  from  impoverished  family  to  go  to  

university,  so  they  are  empowered  with  equal  opportunity  to  pursue  a  future  for  themselves.  They  also  

teach  agriculture  and  provide  irrigation  systems  and  community  loans  within  the  community.  

How  the  projected  started  Helping  Hands  Cambdia  was  founded  by  Australian  photographer  Deborah  Groves.  As  a  tourist  to  

Cambodia  in  2004,  Deborah  was  very  moved  by  the  poverty  she  came  across  in  the  rural  village,  Prasat  

Chas,  where  the  organisation  is  focused.  From  humble  beginnings  working  with  the  community  to  offer  

emergency  medical  care  and  simple  farm  tools,  Helping  Hands  has  grown  to  encompass  a  school  and  a  

holistic  array  of  projects.    

In  2012,  it  became  obvious  that  her  personal  commitments  –  she  now  had  a  young  child  to  care  for  –  

meant  Deborah  was  unable  to  provide  the  level  of  time  and  commitment  needed  to  continue  running  

Helping  Hands  so  she  sought  out  an  organisation  with  the  same  philosophy  as  her  and  with  the  

capacity  and  level  of  commitment  to  Cambodia  to  ensure  the  continuation  of  her  organisation.  In  April  

2013,  Deborah  handed  over  the  management  of  Helping  Hands  Cambodia  to  Globalteer.

Project  objectives  Helping  Hands  Cambodia’s  aim  is  to  give  people  a  hand  up,  not  a  ‘hand  out’.    They  want  to  enable  the  

Cambodian  people  to  help  themselves.  Their  aim  is  to  build  up  the  pride  and  dignity  of  individuals,  

family  units  and  the  village  community  as  a  whole.  

Helping  Hands  therefore  works  on  the  core  principles  of  providing  opportunities  and  support  rather  

than  basic  ‘giving’.    

At  every  stage  they  work  with  the  community,  meeting  with  the  village  chief,  community  elders,  

parents  and  teachers  in  order  to  understand  the  changing  priorities  and  how  they  can  work  together  to  

address  them.  

Daily  activities  Your  main  duties  at  Helping  Hands  will  include  assisting  in  English  classes.  These  classes  are  taught  by  a  

trained  Khmer  teacher.  Volunteers  are  encouraged  to  discuss  with  the  teacher  how  they  can  assist  them  

before  the  lesson,  or  on  the  Friday  to  plan  for  the  week  ahead.  As  a  volunteer  you  may  be  asked  to:

• give  correct  pronunciation

• read  English  passages  to  the  class  –  demonstrating  pronunciation,  intonation,  fluency

• work  with  groups  or  individuals  during  the  lesson

• encourage  the  children

• check  the  student’s  work  books  for  correct  understanding  and  helping  with  the  self-­‐correction  of

children’s  work

• ask  the  students  relevant  questions

• organise  educational  and  creative  games

• give  the  pupils  lots  of  opportunities  to  practice  their  spoken  English

As  in  any  developing  country,  the  unexpected  can  often  disrupt  the  best  laid  plans,  so  volunteers  should  

be  aware  that  if  the  needs  arise  you  may  be  asked  to  help  with  other  tasks,  which  may  include  helping  

with  the  sports  programme,  helping  with  site  maintenance,  assisting  with  the  farm  etc.  

Please  note  that  very  occasionally  circumstances  beyond  our  control  may  mean  you  are  unable  to  attend  

the  project  we  have  assigned  you.  We  will  endeavour  to  advise  you  as  early  as  possible  if  this  is  the  case,  

and  of  course  will  do  everything  we  can  to  find  you  a  suitable  alternative.    

Project  location  Helping  Hands  is  located  in  the  rural  village  of  Prasat  Char,  which  is  25km  north  of  Siem  Reap.  A  tuk  tuk  

is  provided  to  the  project,  which  takes  approximately  45  minutes.    

Volunteer placements are half days and can rotate between mornings or afternoons but this really depends on the needs of the project at the time. The morning shift is 7:30 am - 11:30 am and the afternoon shift is 1 pm- 5 pm. If a volunteer wants to work all day then they can volunteer from 9 am- 4 pm but please keep in mind that the journey is about an hour from the accommodation and can be a very long day with bumpy roads.